Salvador loses in playoff, but earns respect of Asian Tour vets

It looks like Elmer Salvador is a possilbe heir apparent to Juvic Pagunsan in the Asian Tour. Salvador earned the respect of the Asian Tour players after ending up second to David Lipsky of the US even though the Filipino lost in the first playoff hole of the inaugural $300,000 Handa Faldo Cambodian Classic in Siem Reap, Cambodia Saturday at the Angkor Golf Resort.   Lipsky, who started the day seven shots off the lead, closed with a stunning seven-under-par 65 for a 15-under-par 273 total. A gritty Salvador had a 10-foot birdie putt at the 18th in regulation play for the outright win but he misjudged the line and missed it for a four-under-par, bogey-free 68. In the sudden death, Lipsky holed in a chip-in birdie for the victory. "It was a good chip by Lipsky. It was like a billiard shot, the way he stopped the ball (into the hole). I can't do anything about that. I still feel happy. $32,550 (P1.38-million) is a lot of money," said the 42-year-old Salvador, the former lake boy in Davao, smiling. This was the second time that Salvador, the 2009 Philippine Open winner, that he got defeated in a playoff. In last year's ISPS Handa Singapore Classic, he was charged in the final day to tie for the lead only to lose in extension. "Two times losing in a play-off now and I don't know why. I'll keep trying," he said. Salvador promises to play with the same aggressiveness in the upcoming Asian Tour events. He is fervently hoping to nail one. If not, he said, he is aiming to hoist the Order of Merit title, just like countryman Pagunsan. "Every Filipino golfer is proud of what Juvic has achieved. The others, including me, are trying to get to where he is now," he added. For Lipsky, he enjoyed his maiden professional victory in front of six-time Major champion Nick Faldo, who watched the shootout at the course he designed. "I really can't believe I'm here right now," said a jubilant Lipsky, who earned US$47,550 and a priceless winner's exemption on the Asian Tour till the end of 2014. Jhonel Ababa (72-286), Jay Bayron (75-291) and Angelo Que (74-292) were the other Filipino finishers. — JVP, GMA News